Israeli army invades ‘most crowded displacement camp in history’ – Day 320

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Israeli army invades ‘most crowded displacement camp in history’ – Day 320

DNC attendees cover their ears as the names of dead Palestinian children are read as they leave the convention (photo)

Israeli army announces new evacuation order in south

Al Jazeera reports: 

The Israeli spokesperson for Arabic language media has announced a new evacuation order for the Gaza Strip.

Residents were warned to evacuate several areas in Khan Younis governorate in southern Gaza, including Bani Suheila, Sheikh Nasser, Barbakh and as-Satr al-Gharbi, Avichay Adraee posted on X.

The order comes after thousands of Palestinians fled parts of Deir el-Balah as the Israeli military issued an evacuation order and its forces advanced deeper into the overcrowded central Gaza city.

The Israeli military has targeted areas it had designated as safe zones on several occasions previously, killing Palestinians taking refuge there.

Gaza polio patient paralyzed, UN to begin vaccination soon

Middle East Eye reports:

The UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) says that it will begin vaccinating Gaza’s children for polio at the end of the month.

The news comes after the besieged enclave recorded its first case of polio last week, and as the WHO confirmed that a a 10-month-old baby was now paralyzed due to the disease.

“It is not enough to bring the vaccines into Gaza [and] protect the cold chain,” Phillippe Lazzarrini, commissioner general of Unrwa, said on X. “To have an impact, the vaccines must end up in the mouths of every child under the age of 10.”

Gaza’s Health Ministry has said that a vaccination campaign alone will not prevent the spread of polio “in the absence of clean water, personal hygiene supplies, the spread of sewage among the tents of the displaced, and the absence of a healthy environment.”

It is not clear whether Israel has allowed WHO polio vaccines to enter Gaza.

The polio virus has been detected in Gaza's sewage, which flows through areas with displaced persons and residential zones due to infrastructure destruction, and “represents a new health crisis.”
The polio virus has been detected in Gaza’s sewage, which flows through areas with displaced persons and residential zones due to infrastructure destruction, and “represents a new health crisis.” (photo)

Doctors Without Borders says Israel’s new evacuation orders are ‘inhumane’

From Doctors Without Borders:

Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said its staff are among the thousands of people who are having to flee central Gaza after Israel’s military issued new evacuation orders for Deir el-Balah and Khan Younis.

“The continuous forced displacement of people is inhumane,” MSF project coordinator Jacob Granger said in a statement.

“People have no belongings left, nowhere left to go. There is no room to put tents up. The overcrowding, severe lack of water, and minimal sanitation services are fuelling the spread of diseases. We are unable to keep up with the overwhelming needs.”

Israeli army invades ‘most crowded displacement camp in history,’ bombs Palestinians in shelters

Mondoweiss reports: 

In a press release last Sunday, the Deir al-Balah municipality said that the waves of evacuation reaching Deir al-Balah were causing an unprecedented number of displaced people to cram into a tiny zone. According to the statement, Deir al-Balah’s total area is 42 square kilometers, and almost a million displaced people are now distributed across 200 displacement centers there.

“This makes Deir al-Balah the most crowded displacement camp in history,” the municipality said.

On Tuesday, the Israeli army bombed the local market in Deir al-Balah, killing 9 civilians. Several hours later, the army bombarded a school in Gaza City sheltering 700 people, killing 10 people, according to the Palestinian Civil Defense.

Civil Defense teams were forced to cut up a martyr’s body to pull him out of the rubble, which had been stuck under three collapsed ceilings inside the school. Survivors say that it was one of the most horrific scenes they have witnessed since the start of the war.

(Read the full article here.)

Palestinians living in the area flee to the Al Mawasi district, the west part of the city with their belongings following the Israeli army’s evacuation warning at Hamad area in Khan Yunis, Gaza on August 11, 2024 [Ashraf Amra/Anadolu Agency]
Palestinians living in the area flee to the Al Mawasi district, the west part of the city with their belongings following the Israeli army’s evacuation warning at Hamad area in Khan Yunis, Gaza on August 11, 2024 [Ashraf Amra/Anadolu Agency] (photo)

Netanyahu’s goal is ‘creeping occupation’ of Gaza: Ha’aretz

From Ha’aretz:

Ha’aretz writer Aluf Benn said in an editorial that the Israeli prime minister is “torpedoing” ceasefire negotiations because he ultimately wants a “prolonged occupation of the Gaza Strip”.

“Caravan after caravan, outpost after outpost” Netanyahu is planning a “creeping occupation” of Gaza, Benn said, adding that the Israeli prime minister’s recent insistence on maintaining Israeli control of “defense and strategic assets”, such as the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors illustrates his intentions.

The editorial came as the families of Israeli captives held in Gaza criticized Netanyahu’s handling of the truce talks, saying the “full and direct responsibility for the fate of the negotiations is on the prime minister”.

POTUS tweet, October 18, 2023 "I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding the situation on the ground, security assistance and humanitarian needs, and information on unaccounted Americans. I asked tough questions as a friend of Israel. We will continue to deter any actor wanting to widen this conflict."
POTUS tweet, October 18, 2023 “I spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu regarding the situation on the ground, security assistance and humanitarian needs, and information on unaccounted Americans. I asked tough questions as a friend of Israel. We will continue to deter any actor wanting to widen this conflict.” (photo)

West Bank: Three Palestinians killed in Israeli strike on Tulkarem camp

Al Jazeera reports:

Three Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli air attack on a house in the Tulkarem refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health says.

The aerial attack today came as the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said fighters from its Tulkarem Battalion clashed with Israeli soldiers in the camp and detonated explosive devices targeting military vehicles.

Reporting from Tulkarem, Al Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim said on Thursday that the raid was ongoing 12 hours later in the congested area, with sounds of explosives and gunfire heard and drones flying above.

Jewish terror is jeopardizing Israel’s existence: Shin Bet chief

Middle East Eye reports:

In a letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, government ministers and the attorney general, Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet security service, warned that Jewish terrorism was endangering Israel’s existence.

Bar says that those he calls Jewish terrorists “want to cause the system to lose control, causing indescribable damage to Israel”.

He also said that police incompetence and “perhaps a sense of hidden support” is increasing.

(Read the full article here.)

A group of Jewish settlers under the protection of Israeli soldiers raids the Old City area of Hebron, West Bank on August 17, 2024. [Wisam Hashlamoun – Anadolu Agency]
A group of Jewish settlers under the protection of Israeli soldiers raids the Old City area of Hebron, West Bank on August 17, 2024. [Wisam Hashlamoun – Anadolu Agency] (photo)

‘They Did Not Hit Me’ – Former Prisoner Argamani Challenges Israeli Media over Distorted Claims

Palestine Chronicle reports:

Former Israeli prisoner Noa Argamani has accused the Israeli media of taking her statements out of context and denied claims that she was beaten by members of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas.

Through her Instagram page, Argamani clarified that the Qassam Brigades did not harm her physically or cut her hair, but she sustained injuries when a wall collapsed during an Israeli airstrike.

“I cannot stay silent about what the Israeli media has done to me over the past 24 hours, taking my words out of context,” she stated, adding: “I am a victim of the October 7 operation, and I refuse to be victimized again by the Israeli media.”

Argamani explained that Al-Qassam members “did not hit me while I was in captivity, nor did they cut my hair.”

“I was injured by the collapse of a wall caused by an Israeli airstrike,” she highlighted.

In June, the Israeli military announced that Argamani and three other Israeli prisoners were rescued during a military operation in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza, which resulted in the killing and injuring of hundreds of Palestinian civilians.

Since her return, Argamani has expressed frustration over the distortion of her accounts, particularly concerning her treatment while in Gaza.

(Read the full article here.)

NOTE: In reality, many of the released Israeli captives have been in good health. They described their fear of being bombed by Israel, but did not report torture or rape (for which at least one was harassed). In the case of Noa Argamni, reportedly the worst complaints she had of her captors was that she “had to cook and wash dishes for the family,” and was not able to shower often. She was able to walk outside, but “was forced to dress like a Palestinian woman.”

Released Gaza captive declines Netanyahu ‘PR’ meeting

Al Jazeera reports:

Margalit Moses, a 77-year-old Israeli who was freed from captivity in Gaza in November, has declined Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s invitation to meet him today, saying she believes it would be a publicity stunt.

“Thank you for the invitation, but I will not take part in the meeting for photography and public relations purposes while my friends are languishing in the Hamas tunnels in Gaza,” she wrote in a public statement.

“In light of the reports of another [hostage-ceasefire] deal being thwarted on your part to release the abductees, I see no reason to come to a meeting with someone who proves by his actions that releasing the hostages is not top of mind and abandons them to their deaths,” she added.

Moses was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with her ex-husband Gadi Moshe Moses during the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7. Gadi remains in captivity in Gaza.

War will continue, even with a deal: Israeli official

From Times of Israel:

An Israeli official told The Times of Israel that a ceasefire deal would not mean the end of the war in Gaza.

“So long as Hamas doesn’t agree to a deal, we will continue fighting,” the official was quoted as saying. “Even if they do, the war will continue. Of course, if there is a deal, there will be a lull in the fighting in the first stage. But we will continue fighting until we achieve all of our war aims.”

The insistence on the war continuing echoes the words of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has himself insisted that any ceasefire deal still allow the Israelis to continue to attack Gaza, despite the US insistence that a deal would lead to an end to the war.

Hamas has repeatedly stated that any deal to secure the release of captives held in Gaza lead to a lasting ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.

DNC 2024: Democrats reject Palestinian speaker, attendees cover ears when hearing names of Gaza victims

Middle East Eye reports: Democratic National Convention has made little reference to Gaza war, with many delegates responding to disruptions with disdain

The Democratic National Committee rejected a call to have a Palestinian speaker on the main stage of their convention, after providing time to the relative of an Israeli hostage to speak on Wednesday evening.

The call to feature a Palestinian speaker had been made by the Uncommitted Movement, a group of activists and Democratic operatives who initially withheld from voting for Joe Biden in the primary elections over his support for the war on Gaza.

Since Biden dropped out, the Uncommitted Movement has called on Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and impose an arms embargo on Israel, but the group continues to support Harris for the upcoming US presidential election in November.

Earlier this week, the Uncommitted Movement held a panel on Palestinian human rights on the sidelines of the convention.

After receiving news of the rejection, members of the Uncommitted Movement and other democratic delegates joined a small protest outside the United Center, where the convention was being held.

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STATISTICS OCTOBER 7 – AUGUST 22:

Palestinian death toll from October 7, 2023 – August 22, 2024: at least 40,859* (40,265 in Gaza* – 11,445 women (30%), 16,251 children as of July 22. [The Ministry’s figures have been contested by the Israeli authorities, although they have been accepted as accurate by Israeli intelligence services, the UN, and WHO. These data are supported by independent analyses, comparing changes in the number of deaths of UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff with those reported by the Ministry, which found claims of data fabrication implausible.]

This is expected to be a significant undercount since thousands of those killed have yet to be identified – and at least 637 in the West Bank (~147 children). This does not include an estimated 10,000 more still buried under rubble (4,900 women and children). Euro-Med Monitor reports 46,848 Palestinian deaths.

Lancet: “Applying a conservative estimate of four indirect deaths per one direct death9 to the 37,396 deaths reported, it is not implausible to estimate that up to 186 000 or even more deaths could be attributable to the current conflict in Gaza.

Ralph Nader earlier estimated 200,000 Palestinians may have been killed in Gaza.

      • At least 45 Palestinians have died in Israeli prisons (27 from Gaza, 18 from West Bank).
      • At least 41 Palestinians have died due to malnutrition**.
      • About 1.9 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million population are currently displaced.
      • Almost 500,000 Gazans are currently experiencing catastrophic levels of food insecurity.

Palestinian injuries from October 7 – August 22: at least 98,401 (including at least 93,144 in Gaza and 5,420 in the West Bank, including 830 children). [It remains unknown how man Americans are among the casualties in Gaza.]

Reported Israeli death toll from October 7, 2023 – August 22, 2024: ~1,457 (~1,139 on October 7, 2023, of which ~32 were Americans, and ~36 were children); 293*** military forces since the ground invasion began in Gaza; 25 military and civilians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Israel) and~10,000 injured.

NOTE: It is unknown at this time how many of the deaths and injuries of Israelis on October 7 were caused by Israeli soldiers.

*Previously, IAK did not include 471 Gazans killed in the Al Ahli hospital blast since the source of the projectile was being disputed. However, given that much evidence points to Israel as the culprit, Israel had previously bombed the hospital and has attacked many others, Israel is prohibiting outside experts from investigating the scene, and since the UN and other agencies are including the deaths from the attack in their cumulative totals, if Americans knew is now also doing so.

**Euro-Med Monitor reports that Gaza’s elderly are dying at an alarmingly high rate. The majority die at home and are buried either close to their residences or in makeshift graves dispersed across the Strip. There are currently more than 140 such cemeteries. Additionally, according to Euromed, thousands have died from starvation, malnourishment, and inadequate medical care; these are considered indirect victims as they were not registered in hospitals. 

***Approximately ten of the deaths listed above were Israeli soldiers killed by Hezbollah in fighting at the Israel-Lebanon border. The figure does not include the reportedly 53 Israeli soldiers – nearly 16% of the total Israeli military deaths – killed due to friendly fire in Gaza and other military-related accidents. 

† For most of the conflict, women and children accounted for about 70% of deaths in Gaza, with children making up a little over 40% of those killed, according to official statistics.

Find previous daily casualty figures and daily news updates here.

Hover over each bar for exact numbers.
Source: IsraelPalestineTimeline.org

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